Rain finally brought much-needed relief to Delhi on Thursday morning after days of intense heat and high humidity, as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) placed the national capital under a red alert for intense rainfall during the morning hours. Mumbai also received heavy rainfall and remained under an orange alert along with the neighbouring districts.
Heavy showers lashed several parts of Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), leading to a significant drop in temperatures and improving weather conditions. The rainfall comes as the southwest monsoon edges closer to the capital, with conditions becoming increasingly favourable for its advance.
Delhi weather forecast for today
While the IMD has issued an overall yellow alert for Delhi for the day, a red alert remained in effect through its nowcast till 9.45 am, warning of moderate to heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and strong winds.
According to the weather office, the city is expected to witness a generally cloudy sky with spells of light rain at many places and moderate rain at isolated locations during the morning and forenoon. Another spell of very light to light rain, accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds, is likely towards the evening.
Strong surface winds with speeds of 40-50 kmph, gusting up to 60 kmph, are expected during both the morning and evening spells. The maximum temperature is expected to drop significantly and remain between 32 and 34 degrees Celsius, while the minimum will hover around 23 to 25 degrees Celsius.
The rainfall has provided respite from the oppressive weather experienced over the past few days, when the heat index, or ‘feels-like’ temperature, had crossed 50 degrees Celsius mark due to high humidity.
High rainfall in most parts of the country
The active monsoon conditions are not limited to Delhi. The IMD has forecast widespread rainfall activity across several parts of the country on Thursday, with heavy to very heavy rainfall expected over coastal Karnataka, Konkan and Goa, Maharashtra and isolated areas of Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Saurashtra and Kutch, Uttarakhand and Vidarbha.
Heavy rainfall is also likely over Bihar, eastern Rajasthan, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Kerala, Punjab, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh. Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds of up to 50 kmph have been forecast across large parts of north, central and peninsular India.
Mumbai under orange alert
Mumbai and neighbouring districts also remain under weather watch, with the IMD issuing an orange alert for the financial capital on Thursday. Moderate to heavy rainfall is expected across Mumbai, Thane and Palghar, while some areas could receive intense showers during the day.
The weather office has advised residents to remain alert as heavy rainfall may lead to waterlogging in low-lying areas and slow traffic movement. Active monsoon conditions are expected to continue over Konkan and Goa, with heavy to very heavy rainfall likely in parts of the region.
The IMD has also warned of squally weather over the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal, with wind speeds of 40-55 kmph, gusting up to 65 kmph, over several coastal areas, advising fishermen not to venture into affected regions.
